I know, I know. Long time no write. A combination of writer's block, power outages, faulty internet connections, and bad moods is to blame. Coming back to Dogbo after the holidays was especially difficult. Two weeks filled with fun and lots of companionship made the return to post seem especially lonely and isolated. Moreover, I've been at post 5 months now and the truth is that the novelty is most definitely wearing off. The month of January was the realization that this is not some adventurous extended vacation. This is my life for the next 20 months. I don't mean that in a negative way, just that it's all pretty routine and mediocre nowadays. The big difference between here and home is not the 3 inch cockroaches or the 100 degree heat, it's the fact that I'm basically just alone -- a fact reinforced by my neighbors deciding to hate me and scream at me because of my dog. There hasn't been screaming in a few weeks, but now it's mostly the silent treatment. As awkward and unforunate as it is, Jasper is fantastic and he's not going anywhere.
Now that that major storm has passed, I'm in better spirits and able to sit down and write a non-angry or pessimistic blog for you :-) . Interestingly, life at school has really helped me get through my funk, both because it got me into a routine again and also because the kids actually seemed to be much better behaved after the holiday break. I'm happy to report that I feel like classes are going really well (well, 3 out of 4 anyway...one class continues to be uncontrollable and uninterested and they are quickly falling behind :-( ). As of this week the first semester is officially over, and the averages in all but the worst class were well above passing. I can't believe the year's half over!
And now for a blog worthy story- about two weeks ago, my first years were learning family vocabulary and I decided to bring in pictures of my own family. Not only was it a great reinforcing activity, but of course they were jumping out of their seats to catch a glimpse. I purposely started with the basics and moved up to what I knew would bring a big response. The parents were simple of course, and then many boys commented how they are going to marry my sister. On to the picture of the 4 siblings- my sister and my 3 brothers. Well, of course me standing next to a grown man..."Madame!!! Madame your husband?!?!?! Ooooooh" They were all yelling. As soon as I calmed them down and explained to their disappointment that these were my brothers, I brought out a picture of me and my nephew Michael. Uproar again. "Madame!!! Your son?!?!?!" No, no, no, I explained. Disappointed again. All in all they loved it and I enjoyed sharing with them.
Just as I was putting my pictures away, a very lovely boy by the name of Léonce raised his hand. Without any hesitation he said (in french), "Madame, madame, how come in all of your pictures from over there, you're so fat, and here you're so skinny?" He even used hand gestures to get his point across. Well, I just lost it and started laughing like crazy. The rest of the kids were laughing too, probably more at my reaction rather than his question. "You can't say that!!! You can't ever, ever, ever say that!!" I said, shaking my finger at him and still laughing. I explained that in our society thinner is considered better and it's very impolite to call someone fat. Of course being thin is the norm here in Benin due to diet and physical work, but being bigger is considered just as beautiful, if not more so. So, I explained that it's just due to a change in my food and because I exercise so much, and then I reminded all of them never to call a white person fat!!
(**note- while I didn't consider myself fat before, Léonce indeed is a very observant boy because I have lost over 20 lbs since arrival in Dogbo. I'm even shocked myself when I come across a mirror...)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happy New Year!
OK...I know I haven't posted about Christmas and safari yet (which was amazing!!!), but since New Years was fresh on my mind I decided to write this one first!
After spending the week of Christmas surrounded by a bunch of yovos (white folks) I decided to celebrate New Years with my Beninese host family. It also provided me with an opportunity to go back and visit them for the first time since I left for post 4 months ago. Not really knowing what to expect, I mentally prepared myself for a potential 36 hours of boredom. Living with them for 2 months taught me that visiting extended family often means quietly sitting in front of the TV watching music videos with minimal conversation. Much to my pleasant surprise, this celebration was nothing like what I expected.
I arrived at my host sister's house around 8:30 pm on the 31st to find her and Maman busy in the kitchen and I anxiously began awaiting the arrival of the other guests. I assumed we'd have a big feast around 10 or 11 and then prepare for the big change at midnight. Turns out the other guests arrived at 2 and we started eating at about 4 am. Maman didn't even shower and change into her nice outfit until after 1.
In Benin, the entire celebration comes after midnight. Everyone stays at home with their more immedite family members until 12, and then they travel around visiting friends and family until the early hours of the morning. There is nothing resembling our anxious countdown clocks and huge parties before midnight (which makes so much sense now that I think about it, because time is such a fluid thing here and "being on time" at a certain hour doesn't really matter). At about quarter to 12 my sister passed out sparklers to the kids (there were about 6 including some visiting cousins), and much to my delight I got to play with them too!! I don't think I've touched a sparkler in about 10 years, but all the kids made sure that my hands were never empty. Shouting "Tata Kristin! Tata Kristin!" they sometimes were handing me two or three at a time. We were all so focused on the sparklers that I didn't even know when the clock changed to 12. A minute or two later someone said it and then a few fireworks started going off randomly around the city (no colors, just the big bang ones with white sparks). At some point my sister passed out sparkly masquerade masks and a few goofy hats, making for cute pictures and fun with the kids. One uncle even wore my sister's long-haired wig all night with goofy sunglasses. It made me smile to see the same type of family goofy-ness you see at home during the holidays.
Although I was beyond exhausted, all the playing with the kids helped pass the time until the guests arrived. Around 1:30 am Tata Kristin also had to take a little nap because I was so tired and of course the kids were not too happy about that. Anyway, our most important guest (Maman's big sister) did not arrive until about 3 am, so we had to wait for her to begin the feast. Before anything was ate or drank, her and Maman said a prayer for their ancestors and poured them a drink of alcohol into the ground. Then we had a pretty typical Beninese meal and when I headed to bed at 5:30 everyone was still hanging out on the patio.
While I may have been the first in bed, I was still the last to get up at 9 am. Of course there was another day long party to attend! We got the kids up and out, and I headed over with my sister around noon. It was at a cousin's house, and it was definitely the nicest house I've been in since I've been to Benin. Complete with a big kitchen, oven, fridge, and multiple bathrooms! I even got to ride in their new toyota to help pick up the whole roasted goat she had catered. Well, basically the whole afternoon was spent eating tons and tons of delicious food (including the delish chocolate cake I baked at home and brought along for them), dancing to everything from American hip-hop to traditional Beninese drums, blowing up crazy huge balloons, wearing more goofy sunglasses, and of course drinking plenty of alcohol. One of my favorite parts was just after dusk when the little girls invited me up to the balcony to tell stories. They told all sorts of things and I told the Little Mermaid. (Note- when you start telling a story in Benin, instead of "once upon a time", you say "my story rolls, rolls, rolls, and lands on..." and then you say the name of the main character). All in all it was pretty fantastic and it really made me feel like part of the family. When it comes down to it, the Beninese know how to party, and when I was ready to leave the morning of the 2nd at 9 am to head back to post, they were all still sleeping...
After spending the week of Christmas surrounded by a bunch of yovos (white folks) I decided to celebrate New Years with my Beninese host family. It also provided me with an opportunity to go back and visit them for the first time since I left for post 4 months ago. Not really knowing what to expect, I mentally prepared myself for a potential 36 hours of boredom. Living with them for 2 months taught me that visiting extended family often means quietly sitting in front of the TV watching music videos with minimal conversation. Much to my pleasant surprise, this celebration was nothing like what I expected.
I arrived at my host sister's house around 8:30 pm on the 31st to find her and Maman busy in the kitchen and I anxiously began awaiting the arrival of the other guests. I assumed we'd have a big feast around 10 or 11 and then prepare for the big change at midnight. Turns out the other guests arrived at 2 and we started eating at about 4 am. Maman didn't even shower and change into her nice outfit until after 1.
In Benin, the entire celebration comes after midnight. Everyone stays at home with their more immedite family members until 12, and then they travel around visiting friends and family until the early hours of the morning. There is nothing resembling our anxious countdown clocks and huge parties before midnight (which makes so much sense now that I think about it, because time is such a fluid thing here and "being on time" at a certain hour doesn't really matter). At about quarter to 12 my sister passed out sparklers to the kids (there were about 6 including some visiting cousins), and much to my delight I got to play with them too!! I don't think I've touched a sparkler in about 10 years, but all the kids made sure that my hands were never empty. Shouting "Tata Kristin! Tata Kristin!" they sometimes were handing me two or three at a time. We were all so focused on the sparklers that I didn't even know when the clock changed to 12. A minute or two later someone said it and then a few fireworks started going off randomly around the city (no colors, just the big bang ones with white sparks). At some point my sister passed out sparkly masquerade masks and a few goofy hats, making for cute pictures and fun with the kids. One uncle even wore my sister's long-haired wig all night with goofy sunglasses. It made me smile to see the same type of family goofy-ness you see at home during the holidays.
Although I was beyond exhausted, all the playing with the kids helped pass the time until the guests arrived. Around 1:30 am Tata Kristin also had to take a little nap because I was so tired and of course the kids were not too happy about that. Anyway, our most important guest (Maman's big sister) did not arrive until about 3 am, so we had to wait for her to begin the feast. Before anything was ate or drank, her and Maman said a prayer for their ancestors and poured them a drink of alcohol into the ground. Then we had a pretty typical Beninese meal and when I headed to bed at 5:30 everyone was still hanging out on the patio.
While I may have been the first in bed, I was still the last to get up at 9 am. Of course there was another day long party to attend! We got the kids up and out, and I headed over with my sister around noon. It was at a cousin's house, and it was definitely the nicest house I've been in since I've been to Benin. Complete with a big kitchen, oven, fridge, and multiple bathrooms! I even got to ride in their new toyota to help pick up the whole roasted goat she had catered. Well, basically the whole afternoon was spent eating tons and tons of delicious food (including the delish chocolate cake I baked at home and brought along for them), dancing to everything from American hip-hop to traditional Beninese drums, blowing up crazy huge balloons, wearing more goofy sunglasses, and of course drinking plenty of alcohol. One of my favorite parts was just after dusk when the little girls invited me up to the balcony to tell stories. They told all sorts of things and I told the Little Mermaid. (Note- when you start telling a story in Benin, instead of "once upon a time", you say "my story rolls, rolls, rolls, and lands on..." and then you say the name of the main character). All in all it was pretty fantastic and it really made me feel like part of the family. When it comes down to it, the Beninese know how to party, and when I was ready to leave the morning of the 2nd at 9 am to head back to post, they were all still sleeping...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Break!!!
I'm officially on "winter" break. Ha, yea right. It's hotter than ever right now, and I wish I could just touch some snow. But they tell me we'll have about 15 days of cool Harmattan winds in January before the long hot season kicks in. Harmattan has actually already started up North (where I'll be travelling for Christmas and safari!!), so I guess I'll get a little break for the holidays.
So, two weeks before the break we had a week long of exams. All classes are cancelled and students take one of two tests per semester in every subject which will count for 1/3 of their grade. While there are no classes, professors are still expected to come in to "proctor" exams. I put the word proctor in quotes here because in the Beninese context it's a very loose term really only obliging the professor to pass out and collect the tests. I often saw professors standing outside of adjoining classes chit-chatting or walking 10 mintes to the admin building if they were one copy short and had already passed out the tests. Not exactly a strict no-cheating policy.
Given this set of circumstances you can imagine the incredible resistance and disrespect I received when I went in there and actually demanded quiet and watched them like a hawk for 2 hours. There's no pre-assigned proctor schedule (you just show up and take the set of tests at the top of the stack), so I proctored classes from 1st to 4th year. The older they got the more infuriated they were with me. When I told them they couldn't turn the test over until everyone had one they started screaming. I explained that's what's fair and some of them actually agreed and calmed down, but the others just kept protesting. Then I wouldn't even start passing them out until I had silence which just got them screaming again. Twice another (male) professor stopped in asking if I wanted help to which I replied "no", knowing they'd just take the stack and tell the chatty kids to take one and pass it, thus undermining all of my efforts.
Despite immense frustrations, the week turned out to be incredibly rewarding because I realized that my own students do actually respect me more than I thought they did. For both levels that I teach (1st and 2nd) I was tasked with writing the exams that all students in that level would take simultaneously. Given that the school's secretary doesn't speak English, she typed up my handwritten copy with numerous errors and so I had to go into each class and write and explain corrections on the board during the exam. I can't even describe how refreshing it was to walk into my own classes! For one, their faces all lit up and they seemed encouraged by me stopping by. But even better, in my own classes I actually got quiet when I reminded them talking was cheating, whereas elsewhere I was only greeted with laughter. Other classes wouldn't be quiet (nor would their proctors make them) and often would ask me ridiculous questions just so others could keep chatting.
Beyond the fact that my classes do actually moderately behave for me (respectively, anyway), the average grade in all of my classes was above the passing grade of 10 out of 20! In Benin, this is considered a success. Three classes had an average between 10 and 11, and the fourth was 12.6 (clearly an exceptionally bad proctor, there's no way that's feasible...). Generally, I was really happy and I'll admit pleasantly surprised with how it all turned out. Right after break we'll have to hit the ground running, though, because the 2nd set of big exams is in 3 weeks and then it's the end of the semester. Crazy how time flies! January 1st I will have been gone 6 months already!
Anyway, another cute story- this past week I taught all of me classes Jingle Bells and all about our Santa Claus. It was hilarious when I asked them where Père Noel (Santa in French) lives, because they all started naming the bigger cities of Benin and then arguing over who was right. Then some of them said he comes the day of Dec 25, while others said he visited the night of the 24th. So clearly there isn't really a solid story around his existence here in Benin, and I don't know if children ever actually think he's real. Anyway, when I explained that he lives at the North Pole with children-like elves with pointed ears I know at least half of them thought I was serious. Then I told them how he flies around the world and lands on everybody's rooftops (which led me to have to explain what a chimney is). I think (and hope) that by the end they knew it's just a story, but I guess you never know... Then they all asked for Christmas presents to which I explained that in the US it's the students who give the teachers presents. A couple offered to bring me some moonshine but the rest just said no.
So, two weeks before the break we had a week long of exams. All classes are cancelled and students take one of two tests per semester in every subject which will count for 1/3 of their grade. While there are no classes, professors are still expected to come in to "proctor" exams. I put the word proctor in quotes here because in the Beninese context it's a very loose term really only obliging the professor to pass out and collect the tests. I often saw professors standing outside of adjoining classes chit-chatting or walking 10 mintes to the admin building if they were one copy short and had already passed out the tests. Not exactly a strict no-cheating policy.
Given this set of circumstances you can imagine the incredible resistance and disrespect I received when I went in there and actually demanded quiet and watched them like a hawk for 2 hours. There's no pre-assigned proctor schedule (you just show up and take the set of tests at the top of the stack), so I proctored classes from 1st to 4th year. The older they got the more infuriated they were with me. When I told them they couldn't turn the test over until everyone had one they started screaming. I explained that's what's fair and some of them actually agreed and calmed down, but the others just kept protesting. Then I wouldn't even start passing them out until I had silence which just got them screaming again. Twice another (male) professor stopped in asking if I wanted help to which I replied "no", knowing they'd just take the stack and tell the chatty kids to take one and pass it, thus undermining all of my efforts.
Despite immense frustrations, the week turned out to be incredibly rewarding because I realized that my own students do actually respect me more than I thought they did. For both levels that I teach (1st and 2nd) I was tasked with writing the exams that all students in that level would take simultaneously. Given that the school's secretary doesn't speak English, she typed up my handwritten copy with numerous errors and so I had to go into each class and write and explain corrections on the board during the exam. I can't even describe how refreshing it was to walk into my own classes! For one, their faces all lit up and they seemed encouraged by me stopping by. But even better, in my own classes I actually got quiet when I reminded them talking was cheating, whereas elsewhere I was only greeted with laughter. Other classes wouldn't be quiet (nor would their proctors make them) and often would ask me ridiculous questions just so others could keep chatting.
Beyond the fact that my classes do actually moderately behave for me (respectively, anyway), the average grade in all of my classes was above the passing grade of 10 out of 20! In Benin, this is considered a success. Three classes had an average between 10 and 11, and the fourth was 12.6 (clearly an exceptionally bad proctor, there's no way that's feasible...). Generally, I was really happy and I'll admit pleasantly surprised with how it all turned out. Right after break we'll have to hit the ground running, though, because the 2nd set of big exams is in 3 weeks and then it's the end of the semester. Crazy how time flies! January 1st I will have been gone 6 months already!
Anyway, another cute story- this past week I taught all of me classes Jingle Bells and all about our Santa Claus. It was hilarious when I asked them where Père Noel (Santa in French) lives, because they all started naming the bigger cities of Benin and then arguing over who was right. Then some of them said he comes the day of Dec 25, while others said he visited the night of the 24th. So clearly there isn't really a solid story around his existence here in Benin, and I don't know if children ever actually think he's real. Anyway, when I explained that he lives at the North Pole with children-like elves with pointed ears I know at least half of them thought I was serious. Then I told them how he flies around the world and lands on everybody's rooftops (which led me to have to explain what a chimney is). I think (and hope) that by the end they knew it's just a story, but I guess you never know... Then they all asked for Christmas presents to which I explained that in the US it's the students who give the teachers presents. A couple offered to bring me some moonshine but the rest just said no.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Me blowing out my birthday candle at our awesome 80s bash! (note the sweet prom dress in the background)
AHHHH I'm so frustrated...I had this plan to upload a couple of random pictures but one takes so long that it turns out to be only one because I have to go now.
So instead of another random pic, I'll give you a random piece of information about Beninese culture- It is completely culturally acceptable to pick your nose. More than a few times I've been in a conversation with another adult and they totally stick their finger right up their nose. When I call on kids in class they always stand to answer, and sometimes they stand up and start picking their nose right in front of everyone. At first I was so tempted to laugh, but little by little I'm getting used to it. It's still so funny to think about in general though, and if I start picking my nose all the time when I get home you'll know why...:-)
Monday, December 8, 2008
goats & turkeys
So...I've realized that most of the pictures on my camera from the last three months are of my puppy, haha...so here are two of the most recent. The second one is of Jasper and my adopted goat. My neighbors bought this little goat right before I got there, and because it's from outside, the other goats shun it and they leave it out of the goat pen (I also think my neighbors dont really feed it as much). Anyway, when I first got Jasper he was half the size of the goat and I was terrified whenever he went near it. Well, as you can see now he's about the same size and we've all become great friends, I even named him "our friend the goat". When Jasper gets hyper he 
loves to run and jump on the goat, although goats play by ramming their heads together, so then Jasper tries to get away before the goat gets him in the stomach. It's hilarious. Jasper's food comes wrapped in manioc leaves, which I've started feeding the goat, so he's not so shabby anymore. They even take naps together on the stoop! It occurred to me last week that the holidays are coming up though, and I'm gonna be really depressed if my neighbors feast on our friend the goat!! I'm sure they appreciate how I'm helping to fatten him up though...I'll keep my fingers crossed...In other news, my birthday and Thanksgiving were fantastic. I was up north for a week long training with all the other English teachers, so I got to celebrate with a lot of people. The night of my birthday we cooked a delicious Mexican feast (brownie cake for dessert!) and had an 80s power hour, complete with the best 80s wardrobe you've ever seen. You cannot believe what you can find in the markets hear that people threw away in the states. Not only did we have leg warmers and off the shoulder sweatshirts, but full on prom dresses and very official looking shoulder-padded business suits. It was classic.
Thanksgiving was just as fantastic, complete with giant turkey legs, stuffing, mashed potatoes (made by yours truly), sweet potatoes, and so so much more. All 19 of us sang amazing grace beforehand and after we went around the table and said what our experience in Benin has made us most thankful for. I said it was my education, but not just my formal education, more so the overwhelming amount of knowledge we have that we don't even realize and the fact that more is available at out fingertips (thank you google). The average Beninese person can't afford a newspaper or a book, or even read a map, let alone use a computer or time at an internet cafe. Anyway, after giving thanks we played a really fun get to-know-you-better game by pulling questions out of our watermelon cornucopia...good times!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Not Your Typical Sunday Morning...
About two weeks ago my postmate and I were invited to a Voodun Sunday mass by a young girl we know. It turns out it was in her concession and her father is one of the leaders of the group (like a priest basically). We arrived around 10:30 to find about 50 other people there. All of the women and many, many children were seated on rows of benches watching two fairly young men giving the sermon and leading the ceremony. Not more than 30 years old, the two men were wearing white and blue robes and standing/sitting at a long table. Behind them sat all of the men very calmly and rather uninvolved in the ceremony. By the end of the mass at 12:30 there were well over 100 women crammed onto the benches and probably about 30 men in total.
Upon our arrival they were in the middle of telling a story, which they then translated into French just because Katherine and I were there. The tale was as follows...There once was a king and a small group of his followers wanted to kill him. So they went to his cook and offered him money to kill the king, which he accepted. But, when he went to kill the king he couldn't do it, and instead he apologized to the king and told him everything. The first moral of the story was presented here-- if you are good and true in life (like the king) all evils will be made known to you by Voodun spirits and no harm will come to pass. Well, then the king had a big party, and again the evildoers approached the cook to kill the king and again he accepted. But once again, the cook couldn't do it and apologized to the king, telling the king to kill him and the evildoers. But the king didn't harm any of them or even seek out the people trying to kill him, because Voodoo will sort everything out in this world. All those with bad "gri gri" will get what they deserve in the end.
Next, they passed out a cola nut to everyone, which we had to hold only in our left hand. After a few minutes of standing while they praised the spirit to which we were about to pray (Tron), we all knelt down in the sand and spoke our prayers or fears or hopes or worries to our cola nut. It was so awesome to hear the loud murmur of everyone whispering into their left hands. After about a minute we returned to our seats and they collected the cola nuts so that they could be offered at the altar of the spirit to hear our prayers.
A few minutes later someone invited Katherine and me inside to see the altar and learn more about the religion. So... the spirit they worship is Tron, coming from the word "strong". Supposedly a white man came many many years ago and whispered his hope to a cola nut, which then came true. He deemed the nut "strong!" and I guess somehow it stuck? Not sure...anyway, Tron lives in the sea, so the colors of the "church" are blue and white. They offer him cola nuts because humans are too dirty to talk to hm directly. Because he lives in the sea, they also offer him water and a big hole in the ceiling above the altar allows rain water (from the sea) to reach it. The symbols of the church are also the star and crescent of Islam. This is because stars are bright, and where there is light, Voodun spirits are there and evil spirits cannot go.
As we returned to the service we found all of the women basically taking communion. They lined up down the middle aisle and moved forward to eat a small piece of cola nut and have a brown dot of crushed cola nut placed on their foreheads. This was no quiet procession, however. Loud drums and a choir led everyone in vibrant songs and all were dancing in sync as they moved forward down the aisle. Soon after taking their seats the procession began again (twice) with more songs and dance so that people could give donations to the church in a box at the front.
Somewhere in the break of all this one woman began sort of violently flailing with her eyes closed. She was escorted out by two women. We were told it was "the femme of Voodun", which could mean either wife or woman. Eitherway, she apparently "makes a scene" at every service, and this week chose that woman to temporarily possess. Not sure what happened to her after she was escorted into the building though.
After that lots of random people would go up to the front a few at a time to dance a little as everyone cheered them on. A few men joined in this dancing, but it was the only time I ever saw any of them participate in the festivities. Then an older man spoke for about 15 minutes and it was finished.
Overall, it was remarkable how the mass had so much in common with a Christian service yet so many differences at the same time. There was even something very similar to crossing oneself. The truth is of course that many of them also believe in God and likely accept some, if not all, Biblical practices. I'm not even sure if the spirit Tron is worshipped outside of Dogbo, which all just goes to show the fluidity and flexibility of religion here in Benin.
Upon our arrival they were in the middle of telling a story, which they then translated into French just because Katherine and I were there. The tale was as follows...There once was a king and a small group of his followers wanted to kill him. So they went to his cook and offered him money to kill the king, which he accepted. But, when he went to kill the king he couldn't do it, and instead he apologized to the king and told him everything. The first moral of the story was presented here-- if you are good and true in life (like the king) all evils will be made known to you by Voodun spirits and no harm will come to pass. Well, then the king had a big party, and again the evildoers approached the cook to kill the king and again he accepted. But once again, the cook couldn't do it and apologized to the king, telling the king to kill him and the evildoers. But the king didn't harm any of them or even seek out the people trying to kill him, because Voodoo will sort everything out in this world. All those with bad "gri gri" will get what they deserve in the end.
Next, they passed out a cola nut to everyone, which we had to hold only in our left hand. After a few minutes of standing while they praised the spirit to which we were about to pray (Tron), we all knelt down in the sand and spoke our prayers or fears or hopes or worries to our cola nut. It was so awesome to hear the loud murmur of everyone whispering into their left hands. After about a minute we returned to our seats and they collected the cola nuts so that they could be offered at the altar of the spirit to hear our prayers.
A few minutes later someone invited Katherine and me inside to see the altar and learn more about the religion. So... the spirit they worship is Tron, coming from the word "strong". Supposedly a white man came many many years ago and whispered his hope to a cola nut, which then came true. He deemed the nut "strong!" and I guess somehow it stuck? Not sure...anyway, Tron lives in the sea, so the colors of the "church" are blue and white. They offer him cola nuts because humans are too dirty to talk to hm directly. Because he lives in the sea, they also offer him water and a big hole in the ceiling above the altar allows rain water (from the sea) to reach it. The symbols of the church are also the star and crescent of Islam. This is because stars are bright, and where there is light, Voodun spirits are there and evil spirits cannot go.
As we returned to the service we found all of the women basically taking communion. They lined up down the middle aisle and moved forward to eat a small piece of cola nut and have a brown dot of crushed cola nut placed on their foreheads. This was no quiet procession, however. Loud drums and a choir led everyone in vibrant songs and all were dancing in sync as they moved forward down the aisle. Soon after taking their seats the procession began again (twice) with more songs and dance so that people could give donations to the church in a box at the front.
Somewhere in the break of all this one woman began sort of violently flailing with her eyes closed. She was escorted out by two women. We were told it was "the femme of Voodun", which could mean either wife or woman. Eitherway, she apparently "makes a scene" at every service, and this week chose that woman to temporarily possess. Not sure what happened to her after she was escorted into the building though.
After that lots of random people would go up to the front a few at a time to dance a little as everyone cheered them on. A few men joined in this dancing, but it was the only time I ever saw any of them participate in the festivities. Then an older man spoke for about 15 minutes and it was finished.
Overall, it was remarkable how the mass had so much in common with a Christian service yet so many differences at the same time. There was even something very similar to crossing oneself. The truth is of course that many of them also believe in God and likely accept some, if not all, Biblical practices. I'm not even sure if the spirit Tron is worshipped outside of Dogbo, which all just goes to show the fluidity and flexibility of religion here in Benin.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
"The New President of the World"
That's what my fellow Beninese professors were calling Barack Obama. "You will have peace now, you'll see," they assured me, "the terrorists, everyone, everyone will have peace. He is everyone's President and the world is happy!" While I doubt everyone in the world is suddenly pro-America, it's still amazing to think how in one day the international perspectives of so many can be transformed to optimism and activism. Not that the Beninese people are confrontational (they constantly remind me that they do not like fighting), but based on huge celebrations in countries across Africa and I'm sure the world, it's clear that many have found such hope in Obama's election. It's a little scary because it's a tall order for him and the U.S. to live up to, but it also shows the power of ideas. I've always liked the quote, "We can change things by simply believing them to be different". I think this is a perfect example. Obama hasn't done anything as president yet, but just the idea of him has inspired people to imagine and expect a better world. Even if he never did a thing, I think that inspiration could potentially lead to great things both at home and abroad.
While we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the world in the next 4 (and hopefully 8) years, for now it's amazing enough that the election is finally over and he won! Crazy that I met him over a year ago while volunteering at an early primary rally. That was so long ago! And although I was so sad not be with all my James Madison political junkies at MSU, I was lucky enough to watch 8 straight hours of CNN on satellite television. By chance I was in Cotonou (the capitol) on Tuesday for a PC conference and one volunteer arranged for about 12 of us in town to spend the night watching at the house of one of PC's administrators. Not only was it awesome for the TV, but also because her house was gorgeous, she had AC, and we had tons of delicious food to pig out on. I even used her oven to make Duncan Hines brownies...mmm!
It was also really great because she had some of her own friends over, including some fellow ex-pats but also Beninese people from the PC Bureau. One of our two PC doctors is from Ghana and lives right next door, so she showed up around 12:30 am to watch with us in her PJs. I spent a lot of time talking to her actually as I explained what all the different numbers meant and why NY, IL, and CA could be projected blue before a single vote was counted. She decided to go home in the middle of the night, but then came back 15 minutes later because she couldn't bear to miss it.
When it was finally announced at 5:30 am the Beninese were all cheering/crying as much as we were and during his speech I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. All day before on Tuesday strangers in Cotonou kept asking me if I had voted and I'd say, "yes, of course, who do you think I chose?" They all said Obama, but one volunteer told me she always got McCain because she is white. Well anyway, they were all just as eager as I was to stay up all Tuesday night to find out. I'm told that all of the major stations were giving very frequent updates in French and there were even some with continuous coverage. Since the elections people all over Dogbo have been giving me congratulations, and my host sister even called from Porto Novo to say "felicitations!" Of course it's all so exciting, but I'm also so relieved that I don't have to explain why he lost, because that's a conversation that would have come up a LOT!
Besides all the election festivities, my first trip down to Cotonou was fantastic. Everything is sooo expensive, but for a trip every month and a half or so, it's definitely worth it. The supermarchés are like Christmas. Too expensive to buy much, but nice to know it's there if I crack and absolutely need it! From Snickers to tortilla chips to mozzarella cheese (I bought a big piece!), they've even got packaged cake mixes, fajita sauces, and Bacardi rum :-). Like I said, super expensive, but I did buy a dark chocolate kit-kat, raisins, pringles, and thai sweet chili sauce. The restaurants in Cotonou are obviously fantastic as well. One day I had delicious chicken schwarma and hummus, then Tuesday night we got amazing pizza with real mozzarella cheese. Honestly I need to keep myself away becuase I'll spend all my money, but now that I've been there once I want to go back and try all the other PCV-frequented restaurants!
While we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the world in the next 4 (and hopefully 8) years, for now it's amazing enough that the election is finally over and he won! Crazy that I met him over a year ago while volunteering at an early primary rally. That was so long ago! And although I was so sad not be with all my James Madison political junkies at MSU, I was lucky enough to watch 8 straight hours of CNN on satellite television. By chance I was in Cotonou (the capitol) on Tuesday for a PC conference and one volunteer arranged for about 12 of us in town to spend the night watching at the house of one of PC's administrators. Not only was it awesome for the TV, but also because her house was gorgeous, she had AC, and we had tons of delicious food to pig out on. I even used her oven to make Duncan Hines brownies...mmm!
It was also really great because she had some of her own friends over, including some fellow ex-pats but also Beninese people from the PC Bureau. One of our two PC doctors is from Ghana and lives right next door, so she showed up around 12:30 am to watch with us in her PJs. I spent a lot of time talking to her actually as I explained what all the different numbers meant and why NY, IL, and CA could be projected blue before a single vote was counted. She decided to go home in the middle of the night, but then came back 15 minutes later because she couldn't bear to miss it.
When it was finally announced at 5:30 am the Beninese were all cheering/crying as much as we were and during his speech I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. All day before on Tuesday strangers in Cotonou kept asking me if I had voted and I'd say, "yes, of course, who do you think I chose?" They all said Obama, but one volunteer told me she always got McCain because she is white. Well anyway, they were all just as eager as I was to stay up all Tuesday night to find out. I'm told that all of the major stations were giving very frequent updates in French and there were even some with continuous coverage. Since the elections people all over Dogbo have been giving me congratulations, and my host sister even called from Porto Novo to say "felicitations!" Of course it's all so exciting, but I'm also so relieved that I don't have to explain why he lost, because that's a conversation that would have come up a LOT!
Besides all the election festivities, my first trip down to Cotonou was fantastic. Everything is sooo expensive, but for a trip every month and a half or so, it's definitely worth it. The supermarchés are like Christmas. Too expensive to buy much, but nice to know it's there if I crack and absolutely need it! From Snickers to tortilla chips to mozzarella cheese (I bought a big piece!), they've even got packaged cake mixes, fajita sauces, and Bacardi rum :-). Like I said, super expensive, but I did buy a dark chocolate kit-kat, raisins, pringles, and thai sweet chili sauce. The restaurants in Cotonou are obviously fantastic as well. One day I had delicious chicken schwarma and hummus, then Tuesday night we got amazing pizza with real mozzarella cheese. Honestly I need to keep myself away becuase I'll spend all my money, but now that I've been there once I want to go back and try all the other PCV-frequented restaurants!
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